Travel Guides

Jallianwala Bagh

Jallianwala Bagh is a sombre historical attraction; it is the
site of the April 13, 1919 Amritsar massacre, when hundreds of
innocents were gunned down by British troops. Thousands of men,
women and children had gathered peacefully in the Jallianwala Bagh
garden to celebrate the festival of Vaisakhi, but, as public
gatherings were illegal at the time, the British decided to make an
example of them: between 379 and 1,000 people were killed, and more
than 1,000 wounded in this tragedy. The Martyr's Well, which you
can still see at the site today, was a death trap because many
tried to leap into it to escape the bullets - 120 bodies were
pulled out of the well. The massacre was a turning point for
British colonial rule in India and, ultimately, a step towards the
country's independence.

The site is now a quiet and peaceful memorial garden and museum.
The monument to the slain was built in 1961. The bullet holes on
the walls and buildings surrounding the park are still clearly
visible and serve as a harrowing reminder of the mass murder.
Jallianwala Bagh is a moving and interesting addition to the
itinerary of anybody exploring Amritsar that has an interest in
history. It is located conveniently close to the Golden Temple.